UWSP - PSYC 325 Ch. 2

4 zones of a neuron

input, integration, conduction, output zones

edema

the swelling of tissue, such as in the brain, in response to injury

multiple sclerosis

a disorder characterized by widespread degeneration of myelin

gross neuroanatomy

anatomical features of the nervous system that are visible to the naked eye

peripheral nervous system

the portion of the nervous system that includes all the nerves & neurons outside of the brain & spinal cord (motor nerves & sensory nerves)

nerve

a collection of axons bundled together outside the CNS

sensory nerve

a nerve that conveys sensory info from the periphery into the CNS

motor nerve

a nerve that conveys neural activity to muscle tissue & causes it to contract

somatic nervous system

the part of the peripheral nervous system that provides neural connections to the skeletal musculature; the nerves that make up the SNS form cranial & spinal nerves

axon

a single extension from the nerve cell that carries action potentials from other neurons

axon collateral

a branch of an axon from a single neuron- the base before terminal

axon terminal

the end of an axon or axon collateral which forms on a neuron

motor neuron

a nerve cell that transmits motor messages stimulating a muscle /gland

sensory neuron

a neuron that is directly affected by changes in the environment, such as light, odor, touch, etc.

interneuron

a neuron that is neither a sensory neuron nor a motor neuron; it receives input from & sends output to other neurons

multipolar neuron

have a single dendrite & a single axon, the most common type of neuron

unipolar neuron

a nerve cell with a single branch that leaves the cell body & then extends in 2 directions; one end is the receptive pole, the other is the output zone

bipolar neuron

a nerve cell that has one single dendrite at one end & a single axon at the other end

arborization

the elaborate branching of the dendrites of some neurons

presynaptic

the region of a synapse that releases a neurotransmitter

postsynaptic

the region of a synapse that receives & responds to neurotransmitters

presynaptic membrane

the specialized membrane of the axon terminal of the neuron that transmits neurotransmitters

synaptic cleft

the space between the presynaptic & postsynaptic neurons

postsynaptic membrane

the specialized membrane on the surface of the cell that receives information by responding to neurotransmitter from a presynaptic neuron

synaptic vesicle

a small, spherical structure that contains molecules of neurotransmitter

neurotransmitter

the chemical released from the presynaptic axon terminal that serves as a basis of communication

neurotransmitter receptors

specialized protein molecules that stud the postsynaptic membrane, where they capture & react to molecules of the neurotransmitter

neuroplasticity

the ability of the nervous system to change in response to experience or the environment

axon hillock

a cone-shaped area from which the axon originates out of the cell body (integration zone)

innervate

to provide neural input

axonal transport

the transportation of materials between the neuronal cell body & axon terminals

astrocyte

a star shaped glial cell with many processes, running in all directions

• receive synapses directly from neurons & surround & monitor the activity of nearby synapses

microglial cells

small glial cells that remove cellular debris from injured or dead cells

oligodendrocyte

a type of glial cell that forms myelin in the central nervous system

schwann cell

a type of glial cell that forms myelin in the peripheral nervous system

4 principal divisions of a neurons

cell body, mitochondrion, gogli apparatus, & ribosomes

neuron

the basic unit of a cell body, receptive extensions (dendrite) & a transmitting extension (axon)

glial cell

nonneuronal brain cells that provide structural, nutritional & other types of support to brain

neuron doctrine

the hypothesis that the brain is composed of cells that are distinct structural, metabolically, & functionally & that info is transmitted neuron to neuron

input zone

zone of the neuron with dendrites: where they receive incoming messages like chemical or electrical

integration zone

zone of the neuron with cell body: decides whether a neuron will fire action potentials, contains genetic information

conduction zone

zone of the neuron with axon: transmits information to different neurons, muscles, or glands

output zone

zone of the neuron with axon terminals: ending of an axon that makes synaptic contacts with other nerve cells or effector cells

myelination

glial cells wrap axons with a fatty sheath, myelin, to insulate and speed conduction of the slow process of action potential

Nodes of Ranvier

gaps between the sections of myelin where the axon is exposed to regenerate the action potential 

synaptic vesicles

small membrane-bound organelles, located within the presynaptic terminals of neurons, responsible for storing & releasing neurotransmitters

synapses

a tiny gap between neurons where information is passed from one to the other

3 components of synapses

presynaptic membrane, postsynaptic membrane, & synaptic cleft

presynaptic membrane

on the axon terminal of the presynaptic neuron

postsynaptic membrane

on the dendrite or cell body of the postsynaptic neuron

Synaptic cleft

a gap that separates the membrane

2 divisions of the nervous system

central & peripheral

peripheral nervous system (PNS)

division of the nervous system found outside the skull & spinal column

central nervous system (CNS)

division of the nervous system consisting of the brain

3 divisions of autonomic nervous system

sympathetic, parasympathetic, & central nervous systems